Pilots’ UFO sighting being investigated by Irish Aviation Authority

A British Airways pilot said an object had come up alongside the aircraft. British Airways

The Irish Aviation Authority have confirmed an investigation has been launched after pilots reported seeing an unidentified flying object (UFO) off the south-west coast of Ireland last week.

In an air traffic control (ATC) recording obtained by the Irish Examiner two pilots can be heard discussing seeing a UFO and bright lights on the morning of Friday November 9.

The conversation begins at around 6.47am local time with a British Airways pilot flying from Montreal to Heathrow asking Shannon ATC if military exercises were being conducted in the airspace.

But ATC said there were no such exercises were underway.

The pilot said she had seen something “moving so fast”, which came up alongside the aircraft then “rapidly veered to the north”. She described it as “a very bright light” that had “disappeared at very high speed”.

Later another pilot from a Virgin Airlines flight joined in the conversation to suggest it could be a meteor or another object re-entering the earth’s atmosphere.

He reported seeing “multiple objects following the same sort of trajectory”, adding that the objects were “very bright”.

The pilot said he had seen two bright lights “over to the right”, which had also climbed away at speed.

ATC responded saying that “other aircraft in the air have also reported the same thing so we are going to have a look and see”.

The Irish Aviation Authority confirmed on Monday that an investigation had been opened.

"Following reports from a small number of aircraft on Friday 9 November of unusual air activity the IAA has filed a report," it said.

"This report will be investigated under the normal confidential occurrence investigation process."